KR102762826B1 - Antenna and electronic device including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

According to various embodiments, an electronic device includes a front cover, a rear cover facing in an opposite direction to the front cover, a side frame surrounding a space between the front cover and the rear cover and at least partially including a first conductive portion, a first antenna structure disposed in the space, the first antenna structure including a first substrate, a first array antenna disposed on the first substrate and including a first plurality of antenna elements, a beam pattern formed toward the first conductive portion, and a wireless communication circuit configured to transmit and/or receive a wireless signal in a first frequency range through the first array antenna in the space, wherein the first conductive portion may include a first plurality of slits formed at a portion corresponding to the first array antenna with a spaced interval from each other and having a length in a direction perpendicular to a polarization of the array antenna. Various other embodiments are possible.

Description

{ANTENNA AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE INCLUDING THE SAME}

Various embodiments of the present invention relate to an antenna and an electronic device including the same.

With the development of wireless communication technology, electronic devices (e.g., electronic devices for communication) are becoming ubiquitous in our daily lives, and the use of content resulting from these devices is increasing exponentially. Due to this rapid increase in content use, network capacity is gradually reaching its limit, and since the commercialization of 4G (4th generation) communication systems, communication systems (e.g., 5G (5th generation), pre-5G communication systems, or new radio (NR)) that transmit and/or receive signals using high-frequency (e.g., mmWave) bands (e.g., 3 GHz to 300 GHz bands) are being studied to meet the increasing demand for wireless data traffic.

Next-generation wireless communication technology can transmit and receive signals using frequencies ranging from 3 GHz to 100 GHz in nature, and efficient mounting structures and new antenna structures corresponding thereto are being developed to overcome high free space loss due to frequency characteristics and increase antenna gain. For example, the antenna structure may include an antenna array in which at least one antenna element (e.g., at least one conductive pattern and/or at least one conductive patch) is arranged at a predetermined interval on a printed circuit board. These antenna elements may be arranged so as to have the same or different phases within an electronic device and form a beam pattern in at least one direction. In addition, the electronic device may include a conductive structure (e.g., a conductive side frame formed as at least a portion of a housing, a conductive side member, or a display) that is at least partially arranged around the antenna structure to reinforce rigidity and form an attractive appearance.

However, when such a challenging structure is positioned in the direction in which a beam pattern formed by at least one antenna element of the antenna structure is directed, the radiation direction of the antenna structure may be changed and/or distorted in a direction other than a desired direction by the challenging structure, thereby deteriorating the radiation performance of the antenna.

According to various embodiments of the present invention, an antenna and an electronic device including the same can be provided.

According to various embodiments, an antenna and an electronic device including the same can be provided so as to prevent degradation of radiation performance even when a challenging structure is placed around the antenna.

According to various embodiments, an electronic device includes a front cover, a rear cover facing in an opposite direction to the front cover, a side frame surrounding a space between the front cover and the rear cover and at least partially including a first conductive portion, a first antenna structure disposed in the space, the first antenna structure including a first substrate, a first array antenna disposed on the first substrate and including a first plurality of antenna elements, a beam pattern formed toward the first conductive portion, and a wireless communication circuit configured to transmit and/or receive a wireless signal in a first frequency range through the first array antenna in the space, wherein the first conductive portion may include a first plurality of slits formed at a portion corresponding to the first array antenna with a spaced apart interval from each other and having a length in a direction perpendicular to a polarization of the array antenna.

An electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention includes a conductive structure having a plurality of slits formed therein through which a beam pattern of an antenna structure can be radiated, and the slits can reinforce the rigidity of the electronic device while simultaneously inducing a beam pattern having a high gain in a specified direction to be formed.

In connection with the description of the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals may be used for identical or similar components.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device within a network environment according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electronic device for supporting legacy network communication and 5G network communication according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a mobile electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 3b is a rear perspective view of a mobile electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 3c is an exploded perspective view of a mobile electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 4a illustrates one embodiment of the structure of the third antenna module described with reference to FIG. 2 according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 4b illustrates a cross-section along line Y-Y' of the third antenna module illustrated in (a) of FIG. 4a according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an antenna structure according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an electronic device including an antenna structure according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 7a is a plan view of a portion of a side frame according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 7b is a cross-sectional view of a side frame taken along line 7b-7b of FIG. 7a according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 7c is a cross-sectional view of a side frame taken along line 7c-7c of FIG. 7a according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a portion of a side frame having a plurality of slits filled with a dielectric according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a radiation pattern diagram of an antenna structure comparing a case where no conductive portion is present in a side frame according to various embodiments of the present invention and a case where a conductive portion including a plurality of slits including a dielectric is present.
FIGS. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating electric field distributions (e-field distributions) of antenna structures according to the presence or absence of dielectrics in a plurality of slits formed in a conductive portion of a side frame according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the arrangement relationship of the conductive portion of the antenna structure and the side frame according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an electronic device including the antenna structure of FIG. 11 according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the arrangement relationship between an antenna structure and a first conductive portion of a side frame and a second conductive portion of a rear cover according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an electronic device including the antenna structure of FIG. 13 according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 15 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a dielectric including an acoustic hole is filled in slits formed in a conductive portion of a side frame according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an electronic device including the antenna structure of FIG. 15 according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIGS. 17A and 17B are partial plan views illustrating a conductive portion of a side frame including an acoustic hole according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 18 is a radiation pattern diagram of an antenna structure according to the configuration of FIGS. 17a and 17b according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 19 is a drawing illustrating the arrangement relationship of a plurality of slits and an antenna structure of a side frame according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 20 is a partial perspective view illustrating a conductive portion of a side frame including a segmented portion according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 21 and FIG. 22 are drawings illustrating the arrangement relationship of a plurality of slits and an antenna structure of a side frame according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 23 is a drawing illustrating a state in which a conductive portion of a side frame is connected to a surrounding conductive structure through non-conductive portions according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIGS. 24 and 25 are drawings illustrating the arrangement relationship of a plurality of non-conductive portions formed on a conductive portion of a side frame and an antenna structure according to various embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device (101) within a network environment (100) according to various embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, in a network environment (100), an electronic device (101) may communicate with an electronic device (102) through a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or may communicate with an electronic device (104) or a server (108) through a second network (199) (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may communicate with the electronic device (104) through the server (108). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may include a processor (120), a memory (130), an input device (150), an audio output device (155), a display device (160), an audio module (170), a sensor module (176), an interface (177), a haptic module (179), a camera module (180), a power management module (188), a battery (189), a communication module (190), a subscriber identification module (196), or an antenna module (197). In some embodiments, the electronic device (101) may omit at least one of these components (e.g., the display device (160) or the camera module (180)), or may include one or more other components. In some embodiments, some of these components may be implemented as a single integrated circuit. For example, a sensor module (176) (e.g., a fingerprint sensor, an iris sensor, or a light sensor) may be implemented embedded in a display device (160) (e.g., a display).

The processor (120) may control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware or software component) of the electronic device (101) connected to the processor (120) by executing, for example, software (e.g., a program (140)), and may perform various data processing or calculations. According to one embodiment, as at least a part of the data processing or calculations, the processor (120) may load a command or data received from another component (e.g., a sensor module (176) or a communication module (190)) into the volatile memory (132), process the command or data stored in the volatile memory (132), and store the resulting data in the nonvolatile memory (134). According to one embodiment, the processor (120) may include a main processor (121) (e.g., a central processing unit or an application processor), and a secondary processor (123) (e.g., a graphic processing unit, an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor) that may operate independently or together therewith. Additionally or alternatively, the auxiliary processor (123) may be configured to use less power than the main processor (121), or to be specialized for a given function. The auxiliary processor (123) may be implemented separately from the main processor (121), or as a part thereof.

The auxiliary processor (123) may control at least a portion of functions or states associated with at least one of the components of the electronic device (101) (e.g., the display device (160), the sensor module (176), or the communication module (190)), for example, on behalf of the main processor (121) while the main processor (121) is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, or together with the main processor (121) while the main processor (121) is in an active (e.g., application execution) state. In one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as a part of another functionally related component (e.g., a camera module (180) or a communication module (190)).

The memory (130) can store various data used by at least one component (e.g., processor (120) or sensor module (176)) of the electronic device (101). The data can include, for example, software (e.g., program (140)) and input data or output data for commands related thereto. The memory (130) can include volatile memory (132) or nonvolatile memory (134).

The program (140) may be stored as software in memory (130) and may include, for example, an operating system (142), middleware (144), or an application (146).

The input device (150) can receive commands or data to be used in a component of the electronic device (101) (e.g., a processor (120)) from an external source (e.g., a user) of the electronic device (101). The input device (150) can include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

The audio output device (155) can output an audio signal to the outside of the electronic device (101). The audio output device (155) can include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker can be used for general purposes such as multimedia playback or recording playback, and the receiver can be used to receive an incoming call. According to one embodiment, the receiver can be implemented separately from the speaker or as a part thereof.

The display device (160) can visually provide information to an external party (e.g., a user) of the electronic device (101). The display device (160) can include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector and a control circuit for controlling the device. According to one embodiment, the display device (160) can include touch circuitry configured to detect a touch, or a sensor circuitry configured to measure a strength of a force generated by a touch (e.g., a pressure sensor).

The audio module (170) can convert sound into an electrical signal, or vice versa, convert an electrical signal into sound. According to one embodiment, the audio module (170) can obtain sound through an input device (150), or output sound through an audio output device (155), or an external electronic device (e.g., an electronic device (102)) (e.g., a speaker or a headphone) directly or wirelessly connected to the electronic device (101).

The sensor module (176) can detect an operating state (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic device (101) or an external environmental state (e.g., user state) and generate an electric signal or data value corresponding to the detected state. According to one embodiment, the sensor module (176) can include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an IR (infrared) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

The interface (177) may support one or more designated protocols that may be used to directly or wirelessly connect the electronic device (101) to an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102)). In one embodiment, the interface (177) may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an SD card interface, or an audio interface.

The connection terminal (178) may include a connector through which the electronic device (101) may be physically connected to an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102)). According to one embodiment, the connection terminal (178) may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

The haptic module (179) can convert an electrical signal into a mechanical stimulus (e.g., vibration or movement) or an electrical stimulus that a user can perceive through a tactile or kinesthetic sense. According to one embodiment, the haptic module (179) can include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulation device.

The camera module (180) can capture still images and moving images. According to one embodiment, the camera module (180) can include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

The power management module (188) can manage power supplied to the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, the power management module (188) can be implemented as, for example, at least a part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

A battery (189) may power at least one component of the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, the battery (189) may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

The communication module (190) may support establishment of a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102), the electronic device (104), or the server (108)), and performance of communication through the established communication channel. The communication module (190) may operate independently from the processor (120) (e.g., the application processor) and may include one or more communication processors that support direct (e.g., wired) communication or wireless communication. According to one embodiment, the communication module (190) may include a wireless communication module (192) (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a GNSS (global navigation satellite system) communication module) or a wired communication module (194) (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module, or a power line communication module). A corresponding communication module among these communication modules can communicate with an external electronic device via a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, WiFi direct, or infrared data association (IrDA)) or a second network (199) (e.g., a long-range communication network such as a cellular network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., a LAN or WAN)). These various types of communication modules can be integrated into a single component (e.g., a single chip) or implemented as multiple separate components (e.g., multiple chips). The wireless communication module (192) can identify and authenticate the electronic device (101) within a communication network such as the first network (198) or the second network (199) by using subscriber information (e.g., an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identification module (196).

The antenna module (197) can transmit or receive signals or power to or from an external device (e.g., an external electronic device). According to one embodiment, the antenna module can include one antenna including a radiator formed of a conductor or a conductive pattern formed on a substrate (e.g., a PCB). According to one embodiment, the antenna module (197) can include a plurality of antennas. In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication method used in a communication network, such as the first network (198) or the second network (199), can be selected from the plurality of antennas by, for example, the communication module (190). A signal or power can be transmitted or received between the communication module (190) and the external electronic device through the selected at least one antenna. According to some embodiments, in addition to the radiator, another component (e.g., an RFIC) can be additionally formed as a part of the antenna module (197).

At least some of the above components may be connected to each other and exchange signals (e.g., commands or data) with each other via a communication method between peripheral devices (e.g., a bus, a general purpose input and output (GPIO), a serial peripheral interface (SPI), or a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI)).

In one embodiment, a command or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (104) via a server (108) connected to a second network (199). Each of the electronic devices (102, 104) may be the same or a different type of device as the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, all or part of the operations executed in the electronic device (101) may be executed in one or more of the external electronic devices (102, 104, or 108). For example, when the electronic device (101) is to perform a certain function or service automatically or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device (101) may, instead of executing the function or service itself or in addition, request one or more external electronic devices to perform at least a part of the function or service. One or more external electronic devices that have received the request may execute at least a part of the requested function or service, or an additional function or service related to the request, and transmit the result of the execution to the electronic device (101). The electronic device (101) may process the result as is or additionally and provide it as at least a part of a response to the request. For this purpose, for example, cloud computing, distributed computing, or client-server computing technology may be used.

The electronic devices according to various embodiments disclosed in this document may be devices of various forms. The electronic devices may include, for example, portable communication devices (e.g., smartphones), computer devices, portable multimedia devices, portable medical devices, cameras, wearable devices, or home appliance devices. The electronic devices according to embodiments of this document are not limited to the above-described devices.

The various embodiments of this document and the terminology used herein are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, but should be understood to encompass various modifications, equivalents, or substitutes of the embodiments. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related components. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of the items, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this document, each of the phrases "A or B," "at least one of A and B," "at least one of A or B," "A, B, or C," "at least one of A, B, and C," and "at least one of A, B, or C" can include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first," "second," or "first" or "second" may be used merely to distinguish the corresponding component from other corresponding components, and do not limit the corresponding components in any other respect (e.g., importance or order). When a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as being “coupled” or “connected” to another component (e.g., a second component), with or without the terms “functionally” or “communicatively,” it means that the component can be connected to the other component directly (e.g., wired), wirelessly, or through a third component.

The term "module" as used in this document may include a unit implemented in hardware, software or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit. A module may be an integrally configured component or a minimum unit of the component or a part thereof that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Various embodiments of the present document may be implemented as software (e.g., a program (140)) including one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (e.g., an internal memory (136) or an external memory (138)) readable by a machine (e.g., an electronic device (101)). For example, a processor (e.g., a processor (120)) of the machine (e.g., the electronic device (101)) may call at least one instruction among the one or more instructions stored from the storage medium and execute it. This enables the machine to operate to perform at least one function according to the called at least one instruction. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, 'non-transitory' simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain signals (e.g. electromagnetic waves), and the term does not distinguish between cases where data is stored semi-permanently or temporarily on the storage medium.

According to one embodiment, the method according to various embodiments disclosed in the present document may be provided as included in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded between a seller and a buyer as a commodity. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), or may be distributed online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) via an application store (e.g., Play StoreTM) or directly between two user devices (e.g., smartphones). In the case of online distribution, at least a part of the computer program product may be at least temporarily stored or temporarily generated in a machine-readable storage medium, such as a memory of a manufacturer's server, a server of an application store, or an intermediary server.

According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or a program) of the above-described components may include a single or multiple entities. According to various embodiments, one or more of the components or operations of the above-described components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (e.g., a module or a program) may be integrated into a single component. In such a case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the components of the plurality of components identically or similarly to those performed by the corresponding component of the plurality of components prior to the integration. According to various embodiments, the operations performed by the module, program or other component may be executed sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram (200) of an electronic device (101) for supporting legacy network communication and 5G network communication according to various embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 2, the electronic device (101) may include a first communication processor (212), a second communication processor (214), a first radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) (222), a second RFIC (224), a third RFIC (226), a fourth RFIC (228), a first radio frequency front end (RFFE) (232), a second RFFE (234), a first antenna module (242), a second antenna module (244), and an antenna (248). The electronic device (101) may further include a processor (120) and a memory (130). The network (199) may include a first network (292) and a second network (294). According to another embodiment, the electronic device (101) may further include at least one of the components described in FIG. 1, and the network (199) may further include at least one other network. In one embodiment, the first communication processor (212), the second communication processor (214), the first RFIC (222), the second RFIC (224), the fourth RFIC (228), the first RFFE (232), and the second RFFE (234) may form at least a portion of a wireless communication module (192). In another embodiment, the fourth RFIC (228) may be omitted or included as part of the third RFIC (226).

The first communication processor (212) may support establishment of a communication channel of a band to be used for wireless communication with the first network (292), and legacy network communication through the established communication channel. According to various embodiments, the first network may be a legacy network including a second generation (2G), 3G, 4G, or long term evolution (LTE) network. The second communication processor (214) may support establishment of a communication channel corresponding to a designated band (e.g., about 6 GHz to about 60 GHz) among the bands to be used for wireless communication with the second network (294), and 5G network communication through the established communication channel. According to various embodiments, the second network (294) may be a 5G network defined by 3GPP. Additionally, according to one embodiment, the first communication processor (212) or the second communication processor (214) may establish a communication channel corresponding to another designated band (e.g., about 6 GHz or less) among the bands to be used for wireless communication with the second network (294), and support 5G network communication through the established communication channel. According to one embodiment, the first communication processor (212) and the second communication processor (214) may be implemented in a single chip or a single package. According to various embodiments, the first communication processor (212) or the second communication processor (214) may be formed in a single chip or a single package with the processor (120), the coprocessor (123), or the communication module (190).

The first RFIC (222) may, upon transmission, convert a baseband signal generated by the first communication processor (212) into a radio frequency (RF) signal of about 700 MHz to about 3 GHz used in the first network (292) (e.g., a legacy network). Upon reception, the RF signal may be acquired from the first network (292) (e.g., a legacy network) via an antenna (e.g., the first antenna module (242)) and preprocessed via an RFFE (e.g., the first RFFE (232)). The first RFIC (222) may convert the preprocessed RF signal into a baseband signal so that it may be processed by the first communication processor (212).

The second RFIC (224) may, when transmitting, convert a baseband signal generated by the first communication processor (212) or the second communication processor (214) into an RF signal (hereinafter, a 5G Sub6 RF signal) of a Sub6 band (e.g., about 6 GHz or less) used in the second network (294) (e.g., a 5G network). When receiving, the 5G Sub6 RF signal may be acquired from the second network (294) (e.g., a 5G network) through an antenna (e.g., the second antenna module (244)) and preprocessed through an RFFE (e.g., the second RFFE (234)). The second RFIC (224) may convert the preprocessed 5G Sub6 RF signal into a baseband signal so that the preprocessed 5G Sub6 RF signal may be processed by a corresponding communication processor among the first communication processor (212) or the second communication processor (214).

The third RFIC (226) can convert a baseband signal generated by the second communication processor (214) into an RF signal (hereinafter, “5G Above6 RF signal”) of a 5G Above6 band (e.g., about 6 GHz to about 60 GHz) to be used in the second network (294) (e.g., a 5G network). Upon reception, the 5G Above6 RF signal can be acquired from the second network (294) (e.g., the 5G network) through an antenna (e.g., the antenna (248)) and preprocessed through the third RFFE (236). The third RFIC (226) can convert the preprocessed 5G Above6 RF signal into a baseband signal so that it can be processed by the second communication processor (214). According to one embodiment, the third RFFE (236) can be formed as a part of the third RFIC (226).

The electronic device (101) may, according to one embodiment, include a fourth RFIC (228) separately from or at least as a part of the third RFIC (226). In this case, the fourth RFIC (228) may convert a baseband signal generated by the second communication processor (214) into an RF signal (hereinafter, referred to as an IF signal) of an intermediate frequency band (e.g., about 9 GHz to about 11 GHz) and then transmit the IF signal to the third RFIC (226). The third RFIC (226) may convert the IF signal into a 5G Above6 RF signal. Upon reception, the 5G Above6 RF signal may be received from the second network (294) (e.g., a 5G network) via an antenna (e.g., antenna (248)) and converted into an IF signal by the third RFIC (226). The fourth RFIC (228) can convert the IF signal into a baseband signal for processing by the second communications processor (214).

According to an embodiment, the first RFIC (222) and the second RFIC (224) can be implemented as a single chip or at least a portion of a single package. According to an embodiment, the first RFFE (232) and the second RFFE (234) can be implemented as a single chip or at least a portion of a single package. According to an embodiment, at least one antenna module among the first antenna module (242) or the second antenna module (244) can be omitted or combined with another antenna module to process RF signals of corresponding multiple bands.

According to one embodiment, the third RFIC (226) and the antenna (248) may be arranged on the same substrate to form the third antenna module (246). For example, the wireless communication module (192) or the processor (120) may be arranged on the first substrate (e.g., main PCB). In this case, the third RFIC (226) may be arranged on a portion (e.g., bottom surface) of a second substrate (e.g., sub PCB) separate from the first substrate, and the antenna (248) may be arranged on another portion (e.g., top surface) to form the third antenna module (246). By arranging the third RFIC (226) and the antenna (248) on the same substrate, it is possible to reduce the length of the transmission line therebetween. This can reduce, for example, the loss (e.g., attenuation) of signals in a high-frequency band (e.g., about 6 GHz to about 60 GHz) used for 5G network communications by transmission lines. As a result, the electronic device (101) can improve the quality or speed of communications with a second network (294) (e.g., a 5G network).

According to an exemplary embodiment, the antenna (248) may be formed as an array antenna including a plurality of antenna elements that may be used for beamforming. In this case, the third RFIC (226) may include a plurality of phase shifters (238) corresponding to the plurality of antenna elements, for example, as part of the third RFFE (236). Upon transmission, each of the plurality of phase shifters (238) may shift the phase of a 5G Above6 RF signal to be transmitted to an external source (e.g., a base station of a 5G network) of the electronic device (101) via its corresponding antenna element. Upon reception, each of the plurality of phase shifters (238) may shift the phase of a 5G Above6 RF signal received from the external source via its corresponding antenna element to the same or substantially the same phase. This enables transmission or reception via beamforming between the electronic device (101) and the external source.

The second network (294) (e.g., a 5G network) may operate independently (e.g., Stand-Alone (SA)) or connected (e.g., Non-Stand Alone (NSA)) from the first network (292) (e.g., a legacy network). For example, the 5G network may only have an access network (e.g., a 5G radio access network (RAN) or next generation RAN (NG RAN)) and no core network (e.g., next generation core (NGC)). In such a case, the electronic device (101) may access an external network (e.g., the Internet) under the control of the core network (e.g., evolved packed core (EPC)) of the legacy network after accessing the access network of the 5G network. Protocol information for communication with a legacy network (e.g., LTE protocol information) or protocol information for communication with a 5G network (e.g., New Radio (NR) protocol information) may be stored in the memory (130) and accessed by other components (e.g., the processor (120), the first communication processor (212), or the second communication processor (214)).

FIG. 3a is a perspective view of the front of an electronic device (300) according to various embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 3b is a perspective view of the rear of the electronic device (300) of FIG. 3a according to various embodiments of the present invention.

The electronic device (300) of FIGS. 3A and 3B may be at least partially similar to the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1, or may include other embodiments of the electronic device.

Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B , an electronic device (300) according to one embodiment may include a housing (310) including a first side (or front side) (310A), a second side (or back side) (310B), and a side surface (310C) surrounding a space between the first side (310A) and the second side (310B). In another embodiment (not shown), the housing (310) may refer to a structure forming a portion of the first side (310A), the second side (310B), and the side surface (310C) of FIG. 1 . According to one embodiment, the first side (310A) may be formed by a front plate (302) that is at least partially substantially transparent (e.g., a glass plate or a polymer plate including various coating layers). The second side (310B) may be formed by a substantially opaque back plate (311). The back plate (311) may be formed of, for example, a coated or colored glass, ceramic, polymer, metal (e.g., aluminum, stainless steel (STS), or magnesium), or a combination of at least two of the above materials. The side (310C) may be formed by a side bezel structure (or “side member”) (318) that is coupled with the front plate (302) and the back plate (311) and comprises a metal and/or polymer. In some embodiments, the back plate (311) and the side bezel structure (318) may be formed integrally and comprise the same material (e.g., a metal material such as aluminum).

In the illustrated embodiment, the front plate (302) may include a first region (310D) that extends seamlessly from the first surface (310A) toward the rear plate (311), at both ends of a long edge of the front plate (302). In the illustrated embodiment (see FIG. 3B), the rear plate (311) may include a second region (310E) that extends seamlessly from the second surface (310B) toward the front plate (302), at both ends of a long edge. In some embodiments, the front plate (302) or the rear plate (311) may include only one of the first region (310D) or the second region (310E). In some embodiments, the front plate (302) may not include the first region (310D) and the second region (310E), and may only include a flat plane that is arranged parallel to the second side (310B). In the above embodiments, when viewed from the side of the electronic device (300), the side bezel structure (318) may have a first thickness (or width) on the side that does not include the first region (310D) or the second region (310E), and may have a second thickness that is thinner than the first thickness on the side that includes the first region or the second region.

According to one embodiment, the electronic device (300) may include at least one of a display (301), an input device (303), an audio output device (307, 314), a sensor module (304, 319), a camera module (305, 312, 313), a key input device (317), an indicator (not shown), and a connector (308, 309). In some embodiments, the electronic device (300) may omit at least one of the components (e.g., the key input device (317) or the indicator) or may additionally include other components.

The display (301) may be exposed, for example, through a significant portion of the front plate (302). In some embodiments, at least a portion of the display (301) may be exposed through the front plate (302) forming the first side (310A) and the first region (310D) of the side surface (310C). The display (301) may be coupled to or adjacent to a touch sensing circuit, a pressure sensor capable of measuring the intensity (pressure) of a touch, and/or a digitizer detecting a magnetic field type stylus pen. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the sensor modules (304, 319), and/or at least a portion of the key input device (317), may be disposed in the first region (310D), and/or the second region (310E).

The input device (303) may include a microphone (303). In some embodiments, the input device (303) may include a plurality of microphones (303) arranged to detect the direction of sound. The audio output device (307, 314) may include speakers (307, 314). The speakers (307, 314) may include an external speaker (307) and a call receiver (314). In some embodiments, the microphone (303), the speakers (307, 314), and the connectors (308, 309) may be arranged in the space of the electronic device (300) and may be exposed to the external environment through at least one hole formed in the housing (310). In some embodiments, the hole formed in the housing (310) may be used jointly for the microphone (303) and the speakers (307, 314). In some embodiments, the audio output device (307, 314) may include a speaker (e.g., a piezo speaker) that operates without the hole formed in the housing (310).

The sensor modules (304, 319) can generate electrical signals or data values corresponding to the internal operating state of the electronic device (300) or the external environmental state. The sensor modules (304, 319) can include, for example, a first sensor module (304) (e.g., a proximity sensor) and/or a second sensor module (not shown) (e.g., a fingerprint sensor) disposed on a first surface (310A) of the housing (310), and/or a third sensor module (319) (e.g., an HRM sensor) disposed on a second surface (310B) of the housing (310). The fingerprint sensor can be disposed on the first surface (310A) of the housing (310). The fingerprint sensor (e.g., an ultrasonic or optical fingerprint sensor) can be disposed under the display (301) on the first surface (310A). The electronic device (300) may further include at least one of a sensor module not shown, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, a pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor (304).

The camera modules (305, 312, 313) may include a first camera device (305) disposed on a first side (310A) of the electronic device (300), a second camera device (312) disposed on a second side (310B), and/or a flash (313). The camera modules (305, 312) may include one or more lenses, an image sensor, and/or an image signal processor. The flash (313) may include, for example, a light emitting diode or a xenon lamp. In some embodiments, two or more lenses (wide-angle and telephoto lenses) and image sensors may be disposed on one side of the electronic device (300).

The key input device (317) may be positioned on a side surface (310C) of the housing (310). In another embodiment, the electronic device (300) may not include some or all of the above-mentioned key input devices (317), and the key input devices (317) that are not included may be implemented in other forms, such as soft keys, on the display (301). In another embodiment, the key input device (317) may be implemented using a pressure sensor included in the display (301).

The indicator may be disposed, for example, on the first side (310A) of the housing (310). The indicator may provide, for example, status information of the electronic device (300) in the form of light. In another embodiment, the light-emitting element may provide a light source that is linked to the operation of the camera module (305), for example. The indicator may include, for example, an LED, an IR LED, and a xenon lamp.

The connectors (308, 309) may include a first connector (308) that can accommodate a connector (e.g., a USB connector or an IF module (interface connector port module)) for transmitting and receiving power and/or data with an external electronic device, and/or a second connector hole (or earphone jack) (309) that can accommodate a connector for transmitting and receiving audio signals with an external electronic device.

Some of the camera modules (305, 312), some of the sensor modules (304, 319), or indicators may be arranged to be exposed through the display (101). For example, the camera module (305), the sensor module (304), or the indicator may be arranged to be in contact with the external environment through an opening perforated from the internal space of the electronic device (300) to the front plate (302) of the display (301). In another embodiment, some of the sensor modules (304) may be arranged to perform their functions without being visually exposed through the front plate (302) in the internal space of the electronic device. For example, in this case, an area of the display (301) facing the sensor module may not require a perforated opening.

FIG. 3c is an exploded perspective view of the electronic device (300) of FIG. 3a according to various embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3C, the electronic device (300) may include a side member (320) (e.g., a side bezel structure), a first support member (3211) (e.g., a bracket), a front plate (302), a display (301), a printed circuit board (340), a battery (350), a second support member (360) (e.g., a rear case), an antenna (370), and a rear plate (311). In some embodiments, the electronic device (300) may omit at least one of the components (e.g., the first support member (3211) or the second support member (360)) or may additionally include other components. At least one of the components of the electronic device (300) may be identical to or similar to at least one of the components of the electronic device (300) of FIG. 3A or 3B, and any redundant description will be omitted below.

The first support member (3211) may be disposed inside the electronic device (300) and connected to the side member (320), or may be formed integrally with the side member (320). The first support member (3211) may be formed of, for example, a metal material and/or a non-metallic (e.g., polymer) material. The first support member (3211) may have a display (301) coupled to one surface and a printed circuit board (340) coupled to the other surface. A processor, a memory, and/or an interface may be mounted on the printed circuit board (340). The processor may include, for example, one or more of a central processing unit, an application processor, a graphic processing unit, an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor.

The memory may include, for example, volatile memory or non-volatile memory.

The interface may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an SD card interface, and/or an audio interface. The interface may electrically or physically connect the electronic device (300) to an external electronic device, for example, and may include a USB connector, an SD card/MMC connector, or an audio connector.

The battery (350) is a device for supplying power to at least one component of the electronic device (300), and may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell. At least a portion of the battery (350) may be disposed substantially on the same plane as, for example, the printed circuit board (340). The battery (350) may be disposed integrally within the electronic device (300), or may be disposed detachably from the electronic device (300).

The antenna (370) may be positioned between the rear plate (311) and the battery (350). The antenna (370) may include, for example, a near field communication (NFC) antenna, a wireless charging antenna, and/or a magnetic secure transmission (MST) antenna. The antenna (370) may, for example, perform short-range communication with an external device or wirelessly transmit and receive power required for charging. In another embodiment, the antenna structure may be formed by a part or a combination of the side member (320) and/or the first support member (3211).

FIG. 4A illustrates an embodiment of the structure of the third antenna module (246) described with reference to FIG. 2, for example. (a) of FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the third antenna module (246) as viewed from one side, and (b) of FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the third antenna module (246) as viewed from the other side. (c) of FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the third antenna module (246) taken along line X-X'.

Referring to FIG. 4A, in one embodiment, the third antenna module (246) may include a printed circuit board (410), an array antenna (430), a radio frequency integrate circuit (RFIC) (452), or a power manage integrate circuit (PMIC) (454). Optionally, the third antenna module (246) may further include a shielding member (490). In other embodiments, at least one of the above-mentioned components may be omitted, or at least two of the above-mentioned components may be formed integrally.

A printed circuit board (410) may include a plurality of conductive layers and a plurality of non-conductive layers alternately laminated with the conductive layers. The printed circuit board (410) may provide electrical connections between various electronic components arranged on the printed circuit board (410) and/or the outside by using wires and conductive vias formed on the conductive layers.

The array antenna (430) (e.g., 248 of FIG. 2) may include a plurality of antenna elements (432, 434, 436, or 438) arranged to form a directional beam. The antenna elements (432, 434, 436, or 438) may be formed on a first surface of a printed circuit board (410), as illustrated. In another embodiment, the array antenna (430) may be formed within the printed circuit board (410). In embodiments, the array antenna (430) may include a plurality of array antennas of the same or different shapes or types (e.g., a dipole array antenna, and/or a patch array antenna).

The RFIC (452) (e.g., 226 of FIG. 2) may be placed in another area of the printed circuit board (410) (e.g., a second side opposite the first side) that is spaced apart from the array antenna. The RFIC is configured to process a signal of a selected frequency band transmitted/received through the array antenna (430). According to one embodiment, the RFIC (452) may convert a baseband signal obtained from a communication processor (not shown) into an RF signal of a specified band when transmitting. The RFIC (452) may convert an RF signal received through the array antenna (430) into a baseband signal and transmit the same to the communication processor when receiving.

According to another embodiment, the RFIC (452) may, upon transmission, up-convert an IF signal (e.g., about 9 GHz to about 11 GHz) obtained from an intermediate frequency integrate circuit (IFIC) (e.g., 228 of FIG. 2) to an RF signal of a selected band. Upon reception, the RFIC (452) may down-convert an RF signal obtained through an array antenna (430) to an IF signal and transmit the down-converted signal to the IFIC.

The PMIC (454) may be placed on another portion of the printed circuit board (410) (e.g., the second surface) that is spaced apart from the array antenna (430). The PMIC may receive voltage from the main PCB (not shown) and provide power required for various components (e.g., RFIC (452)) on the antenna module.

A shielding member (490) may be disposed on a portion of the printed circuit board (410) (e.g., the second side) to electromagnetically shield at least one of the RFIC (452) or the PMIC (454). In one embodiment, the shielding member (490) may include a shield can.

Although not shown, in various embodiments, the third antenna module (246) may be electrically connected to another printed circuit board (e.g., a main circuit board) via a module interface. The module interface may include a connecting member, for example, a coaxial cable connector, a board to board connector, an interposer, or a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB). The RFIC (452) and/or PMIC (454) of the antenna module may be electrically connected to the printed circuit board via the connecting member.

Fig. 4b illustrates a cross-section along line Y-Y' of the third antenna module (246) illustrated in (a) of Fig. 4a. The printed circuit board (410) of the illustrated embodiment may include an antenna layer (411) and a network layer (413).

Referring to FIG. 4b, the antenna layer (411) may include at least one dielectric layer (437-1), and an antenna element (436) and/or a feed portion (425) formed on or inside an outer surface of the dielectric layer. The feed portion (425) may include a feed point (427) and/or a feed line (429).

The above network layer (413) may include at least one dielectric layer (437-2), and at least one ground layer (433) formed on or inside an outer surface of the dielectric layer, at least one conductive via (435), a transmission line (423), and/or a signal line (428).

In addition, in the illustrated embodiment, the RFIC (452) of (c) illustrated in FIG. 4a (e.g., the third RFIC (226) of FIG. 2) may be electrically connected to the network layer (413) via, for example, the first and second connecting portions (solder1`r bumps) (440-1, 440-2). In other embodiments, various connecting structures (e.g., soldering or BGA) may be used instead of the connecting portions. The RFIC (452) may be electrically connected to the antenna element (436) via the first connecting portion (440-1), the transmission line (423), and the feed portion (425). The RFIC (452) may also be electrically connected to the ground layer (433) via the second connecting portion (440-2) and the conductive via (435). Although not shown, the RFIC (452) may also be electrically connected to the module interface mentioned above via the signal line (428).

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an antenna structure (500) according to various embodiments of the present invention.

The antenna module including the antenna structure (500) and the wireless communication circuit (595) of FIG. 5 may be at least partially similar to the third antenna module (246) of FIG. 2, or may further include other embodiments of the antenna module.

Referring to FIG. 5, the antenna structure (500) may include an array antenna (AR1) including a substrate (590) (e.g., a printed circuit board) and a plurality of antenna elements (510, 520) disposed on the substrate (590). According to one embodiment, the substrate (590) may include a first surface (591) facing a first direction (① direction) and a second surface (592) facing a second direction (② direction) opposite to the first surface (591). According to one embodiment, the antenna elements (510, 520) may include a conductive pattern disposed in an internal space between the first surface (591) and the second surface (592) of the substrate (590). According to one embodiment, the antenna elements (510, 520) may include a dipole antenna. According to one embodiment, the antenna elements (510, 520) may be arranged in a fill cut region (F), which is a non-conductive region separated from a ground region (G) of the substrate. In another embodiment, when the antenna elements (510, 520) include a conductive patch arranged on the substrate (590), they may be arranged at a position corresponding to the ground region (G). According to one embodiment, the antenna structure (500) may include a conductor (596) (e.g., a reflector) that is arranged spaced apart from the antenna elements (510, 520) on the substrate (590), reduces radiation loss due to conductive structures arranged around it, and induces the antenna structure (500) to form a beam pattern in a desired direction.

According to various embodiments, the antenna structure (500) may include wireless communication circuitry (595) mounted on the second surface (592) of the substrate (590) and electrically connected to the antenna elements (510, 520). In another embodiment, the wireless communication circuitry (595) may be disposed in an internal space of an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (300) of FIG. 3A) spaced apart from the antenna structure (500) and may be electrically connected via a printed circuit board (e.g., the printed circuit board (641) of FIG. 6) and a flexible substrate (e.g., a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB)).

According to various embodiments, the antenna structure (500) may be arranged so that a beam pattern is formed in a third direction (③ direction) perpendicular to a first direction (① direction) through the array antenna (AR1) in an internal space (e.g., the internal space (6001) of FIG. 6) of an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (600) of FIG. 6). According to one embodiment, the third direction (③ direction) may include a direction in which a side frame (620) of the electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (600) of FIG. 6) faces. According to one embodiment, the wireless communication circuit (595) may be configured to transmit and/or receive a wireless signal in a frequency range of about 20 GHz to 100 GHz through the array antenna (AR1). In some embodiments, the wireless communication circuit (595) may be configured to transmit and/or receive a wireless signal in a frequency range of about 95 GHz to 3 THz through the array antenna (AR1). In some embodiments, the wireless communication circuitry (595) may be configured to transmit and/or receive wireless signals in a frequency band (e.g., above and below 6 GHz bands) supported by mmWave (5G communication) through the array antenna (AR1). According to one embodiment, each of the antenna elements (510, 520) of the array antenna (AR1) may radiate signals having the same or different phases to form a beam. According to one embodiment, the array antenna (AR1) may include three or more antenna elements that radiate signals having the same or different phases to form a beam. In another embodiment, the array antenna (AR1) may be replaced with a single antenna element disposed on the substrate (590).

According to various embodiments, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (600) of FIG. 6) may include a conductive structure arranged in a direction of a beam pattern formed by an array antenna (AR1) of an antenna structure (500) (e.g., direction ③). According to one embodiment, the conductive structure may include a conductive portion (621) of a side frame (620) (e.g., a side member) (e.g., a side bezel structure (318) of FIG. 3A) forming at least a part of an exterior of the electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (600) of FIG. 6). According to one embodiment, the conductive portion (621) of the side frame (620) may include a plurality of slits (6211) having a length that are arranged at least in an area corresponding to an area where a beam pattern of the antenna structure (500) is formed and are spaced apart from each other. According to one embodiment, the plurality of slits (6211) may be arranged to have a length in a direction perpendicular to the polarization direction (e.g., horizontal polarization) of the array antenna (AR1). Accordingly, the beam pattern of the array antenna (AR1) may be smoothly radiated to the outside through the plurality of slits (6211), thereby helping to improve the radiation performance of the array antenna (AR1) that may be deteriorated by the conductive portion (621).

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an electronic device (600) including an antenna structure (500) according to various embodiments of the present invention. For example, FIG. 6 may be a cross-sectional view of a portion of an electronic device (300) taken along line B-B’ of FIG. 3b.

The electronic device (600) of FIG. 6 may be at least partially similar to the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or the electronic device (300) of FIG. 3A, or may further include other embodiments of the electronic device.

Referring to FIG. 6, an electronic device (600) (e.g., an electronic device (300) of FIG. 3A) may include a housing (610) (e.g., a housing (310) of FIG. 3A) including a front cover (630) (e.g., a front plate (302) of FIG. 3A) facing a second direction (② direction) (e.g., a z-axis direction of FIG. 3A) (e.g., a first cover or a first plate), a rear cover (640) (e.g., a rear plate (311) of FIG. 3B) facing a first direction (① direction) (e.g., a -z-axis direction of FIG. 3B) opposite to the front cover (630) (e.g., a second cover or a second plate), and a side frame (620) (e.g., a side bezel structure (318) of FIG. 3A) (e.g., a side member) surrounding a space (6001) between the front cover (630) and the rear cover (640). In one embodiment, the side frame (620) can include a conductive portion (621) that is at least partially disposed therein and/or a polymer portion (622) (e.g., a non-conductive portion) that is injection molded (e.g., insert molded or double-molded) into the conductive portion (621). In other embodiments, the polymer portion (622) can be replaced with a cavity or other dielectric material. In other embodiments, the polymer portion (622) can be structurally joined to the conductive portion (621). In various embodiments, the side frame (620) can include a support bracket (611) (e.g., a first support structure (3211) of FIG. 3c) (e.g., a support member) that extends from the side frame (620) to at least a portion of the cavity (6001). In one embodiment, the support bracket (611) can extend from the side frame (620) into the cavity (6001), or can be formed by a structural joint with the side frame (620). In one embodiment, the support bracket (611) may extend from the conductive portion (621). In one embodiment, the support bracket (611) may include a polymer member and/or a conductive member at least partially molded from the polymer member. In one embodiment, the support bracket (611) may support at least a portion of a printed circuit board (641) (e.g., a main board) (e.g., a printed circuit board (340) of FIG. 3C ) and/or a display (631) (e.g., a display (301) of FIG. 3C ) disposed in the internal space (6001). In another embodiment, the support bracket (611) may be arranged to support at least a portion of a battery (e.g., a battery (350) of FIG. 3C ) disposed in the space (6001). In one embodiment, the display (631) may be arranged to be visible from the outside through at least a portion of the front cover (630) in the space (6001) of the electronic device (600).

According to various embodiments, the antenna structure (500) may include a substrate (590) and an array antenna (AR1) including antenna elements (e.g., antenna elements (510, 520) of FIG. 5) (e.g., conductive patterns) disposed on the substrate (590) and operating as a dipole antenna. According to one embodiment, the substrate (590) of the antenna structure (500) may be disposed to be at least partially supported by a dielectric structure (612) disposed in a space (6001) of the electronic device (600). According to one embodiment, the substrate (590) may be disposed in a direction parallel to a back cover (640) and/or a front cover (630) in the space (6001) of the electronic device (600). According to one embodiment, the array antenna (AR1) may be arranged so that a beam pattern is formed in a third direction (③ direction) that is perpendicular to the first direction (① direction) and toward the side frame (620) on the substrate (590). In another embodiment, the array antenna (AR1) may be arranged so that a beam pattern is formed in a space between the third direction (③ direction) and the second direction (② direction) together with the third direction (③ direction). In another embodiment, the array antenna (AR1) may be arranged so that a beam pattern is formed in a space between the third direction (③ direction) and the first direction (① direction) together with the third direction (③ direction).

According to various embodiments, the electronic device (600) may include a side frame (620) that at least partially includes a conductive portion (621) to secure an attractive appearance and reinforce rigidity. According to one embodiment, when the conductive portion (621) of the side frame (620) is positioned at a position corresponding to a direction (③ direction) in which a beam pattern of the antenna structure (500) is formed, the radiation performance of the array antenna (AR1) may deteriorate or radiation may not occur in a designated direction (e.g., ③ direction toward which the side frame faces).

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the electronic device (600) may include a plurality of slits (e.g., the plurality of slits 6211 of FIG. 5) formed in a first region (region A) of a conductive portion (621) of a side frame (620) corresponding to the array antenna (AR1). According to one embodiment, the plurality of slits (e.g., the plurality of slits 6211 of FIG. 5) may have a length and may be spaced apart from each other. According to one embodiment, the plurality of slits (e.g., the plurality of slits 6211 of FIG. 5) may be formed to have a length in a direction perpendicular to a polarization (e.g., a horizontal polarization) of the array antenna (AR1). Accordingly, the array antenna (AR1) may have increased directivity and/or gain and improved radiation performance in a designated direction by forming a beam pattern through a plurality of slits (e.g., the plurality of slits (6211) of FIG. 5) formed in the conductive portion (621) of the side frame (620). In some embodiments, the first region (region A) of the conductive portion (621) to which the plurality of slits (e.g., the plurality of slits (6211) of FIG. 5) of the side frame (620) are applied may have a thickness that gradually increases, as illustrated. In another embodiment, the first region (region A) may have a thickness that gradually decreases. In another embodiment, the first region (region A) may have a constant thickness, as illustrated in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7A is a plan view of a portion of a side frame (620) according to various embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of the side frame (620) taken along line 7B-7B of FIG. 7A according to various embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 7C is a cross-sectional view of the side frame (620) taken along line 7C-7C of FIG. 7A according to various embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 7A to 7C, the side frame (620) may include a plurality of slits (6211) arranged in the conductive portion (621). According to one embodiment, the plurality of slits (6211) may be formed to have a length in a direction perpendicular to a polarization direction (e.g., horizontal polarization) of an array antenna (AR1) included in the antenna structure (500). According to one embodiment, each of the plurality of slits (6211) may be formed to have the same length (L) and width (W). In another embodiment, each of the plurality of slits (6211) may be formed to have unequal lengths (L) and widths (W). According to one embodiment, the plurality of slits may be arranged at equal or unequal intervals, respectively. According to one embodiment, the plurality of slits (6211) may be arranged to overlap at least the antenna structure (500) when the side frame (620) is viewed from the outside. In another embodiment, the plurality of slits (6211) may be arranged in such a way that they overlap at least an array antenna (AR1) including a plurality of antenna elements (510, 520) when viewed from the outside of the side frame (620).

According to various embodiments, the antenna structure (500) may be arranged to cross the center of the plurality of slits (6211) when the side frame (620) is viewed from the outside. In another embodiment, the antenna structure (500) may be arranged to be tilted upward or downward with respect to the center of the plurality of slits (6211) when the side frame (620) is viewed from the outside. In this case, the beam pattern of the antenna structure (500) may be tilted upward or downward in a designated direction.

According to various embodiments, the radiation performance of the antenna structure (500) can be determined according to the size of the length (L) and/or width (W) of the plurality of slits (6211). For example, as shown in Table 1 below, when the antenna structure (500) has the same separation distance (D) (e.g., a separation distance of 0.5 mm) and the same width (W) (e.g., a width of 0.5 mm) with respect to the side frame (620), it can be confirmed that the gain of the antenna structure (500) improves as the length (L) of the slit increases. In addition, when the distance (D) between the antenna structure (500) and the side frame (620) is fixed (e.g., fixed to 0.5 mm), it can be confirmed that the gain decreases rapidly when the length of the slit (6211) is changed to 4.8 mm. This may mean that the radiation performance of the antenna structure (500) is significantly deteriorated when the length of the slit (6211) is changed to 4.8 mm or less. Therefore, the length (L) of the slit (6211) may be formed to be 5.8 mm or more. According to one embodiment, the width (W) of the slit (6211) may be formed to be 0.5 mm or more in consideration of easy processability. In another embodiment, the width (W) of the slit (6211) may be formed to have a width in the range of 0.6 to 0.8 mm. In one embodiment, the size of a slit (6211) that can form an effective radiating aperture (e.g., an opening) capable of radiating a beam pattern through the conductive portion (621) of the side frame (620) can be varied by the length of the wavelength, which is inversely proportional to the frequency.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a portion of a side frame (620) having a plurality of slits (6211) filled with a dielectric (6212) according to various embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, the side frame (620) may include a dielectric (6212) filled in a plurality of slits (6211) formed in the conductive portion (621). According to one embodiment, the dielectric (6212) may be formed of a material having a high dielectric constant (ε0) greater than 1 (e.g., air). For example, by applying the dielectric (6212) having a high dielectric constant to the plurality of slits (6211), the inflow of external foreign substances may be prevented. According to one embodiment, the dielectric (6212) may include aluminum oxide (e.g., Al2O3) generated by oxidizing the periphery of the slits (6211) of the side frame (620) made of a polymer (e.g., polymide) or a metal material having a dielectric constant in the range of about 4 to 10. According to one embodiment, the aluminum oxide may also be used as a ceramic material.

According to various embodiments, by utilizing the phenomenon that the wavelength becomes shorter when a dielectric having a high permittivity is filled in the slits, the antenna structure can be formed so that the plurality of slits have short lengths while expressing the same or higher gain. For example, through this configuration, the length of the slits required to form an effective radiation aperture can be reduced, thereby helping to reinforce the rigidity of the side frame.

<Table 2> below shows the gain of the antenna structure (500) when the plurality of slits (6211) change their lengths (L) in a state where a dielectric (6212) having the same separation distance (D) and the same permittivity (ε0) as the antenna structure (500) is filled in a plurality of slits (6211) in an internal space (e.g., the internal space (6001) of FIG. 6) of an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (600) of FIG. 6). As described above, when the permittivity (ε0) of the dielectric (6212) is 4.3, it can be seen that the antenna structure (500) shows minimal change in gain even when the length (L) of the slit (6211) is reduced to 3.5 mm. Furthermore, when the dielectric (6212) has an increased permittivity (ε0) while having the same separation distance (D) as the antenna structure (500), for example, when a dielectric (6212) having a permittivity of 9.8 is applied, it can be seen that even if the length (L) of the slit (6211) is reduced to 2.5 mm, the antenna structure (500) exhibits a gain equivalent to that in the case where the conductive portion (621) is removed. Accordingly, when a dielectric (6212) having a high permittivity in the range of about 4 to 10 is applied to the plurality of slits (6211), the length (L) of the plurality of slits (6211) can be reduced to about 2.5 mm, which can mean that it can help reinforce the rigidity of the side frame (620) and improve the appearance quality. In addition, it can be implied that the combination of multiple slits (6211) and dielectric (5212) can help improve the radiation performance of the antenna structure (500) by acting as a radio lens.

FIG. 9 is a radiation pattern diagram of an antenna structure (500) comparing the case where there is no conductive portion (621) in the side frame (620) according to various embodiments of the present invention, and the case where there is a conductive portion (621) including a plurality of slits (6211) including a dielectric (6212).

FIG. 9 is a drawing comparing a radiation pattern (901 pattern) of an antenna structure (500) when a conductive portion (621) does not exist and a radiation pattern (902 pattern) of an antenna structure (500) after a dielectric (6212) made of polyamide is applied to a slit (6211) having a length (L) of 4 mm. It can be seen that the antenna structure (500) corresponding to the conductive portion (621) including the slit (6211) to which the dielectric (6212) is applied secures relatively high performance in the main radiation direction (e.g., direction ③).

FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B are drawings illustrating electric field distributions (e-field distributions) of an antenna structure (500) according to the presence or absence of a dielectric (6212) of a plurality of slits (6211) formed in a conductive portion (621) of a side frame (620) according to various embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 10A is a diagram illustrating an electric field distribution of an antenna structure (500) through a plurality of slits (6211) where no dielectric (6212) exists. It can be seen that since the length (E1) of the effective radiation aperture is greater than the length (L) of the slits (6211), the radiation signal of the antenna structure (500) does not pass through the slits (6211), but is stored between the slits (6211) and then radiates the signal to both sides of the slits (6211), thereby degrading the performance of the main radiation direction (③ direction) of the antenna structure (500).

On the other hand, FIG. 10B is a drawing illustrating an electric field distribution of an antenna structure (500) through a plurality of slits (6211) including a dielectric (6212), and shows that the length (E2) of an effective radiation aperture becomes smaller than the length (L) of the slits (6211) through a dielectric (6212) having a high permittivity, and thus a radiation signal formed in the antenna structure (500) is smoothly radiated in a designated direction. For example, it can be seen that since the dielectric (6212) having a high permittivity acts as a director, the antenna structure (500) forms a strong e-field in the main radiation direction (③ direction). This may mean that when a dielectric (6212) having a high permittivity is applied to a plurality of slits (6211), the radiation performance of the antenna structure (500) is relatively improved compared to when the dielectric is not applied.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the arrangement relationship of the antenna structure (800) and the conductive portion (621) of the side frame (620) according to various embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view of an electronic device including the antenna structure (800) of FIG. 11 according to various embodiments of the present invention. For example, FIG. 12 may be a partial cross-sectional view of an electronic device (300) viewed along line B-B’ of FIG. 3B.

In describing FIGS. 11 and 12, components that are substantially the same as those illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 are given the same reference numerals, and redundant detailed descriptions may be omitted.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the electronic device (600) may include an antenna structure (800) that is positioned with support from a dielectric structure (612) positioned in an internal space (6001). According to one embodiment, the antenna structure (800) may include a first antenna structure (500) including a first substrate (590) positioned to be supported by a dielectric structure (612), a first array antenna (AR1) positioned on the first substrate (590) such that a beam pattern is formed in a third direction (③ direction) through a plurality of slits (6211) formed in a conductive portion (621) of a side frame (620), a second antenna structure (700) including a second substrate (790) positioned to be supported by the dielectric structure (612), a second array antenna (AR2) positioned on the second substrate (790) such that a beam pattern is formed in a first direction (① direction) toward which a rear cover (640) faces, and an electrical connecting member (810) electrically connecting the first antenna structure (500) and the second antenna structure (700). According to one embodiment, the electrical connecting member (810) may include a flexible substrate (e.g., a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB), a coaxial cable, or an FPCB type RF cable (FRC)) connecting the first substrate (590) and the second substrate (790).

According to various embodiments, the first array antenna (AR1) may include a first plurality of antenna elements (e.g., antenna elements (510, 520) of FIG. 5) spaced apart from each other on a first substrate (590). According to one embodiment, the first plurality of antenna elements (510, 520) may be dipole antennas and include conductive patterns. In some embodiments, the first substrate (590) may be replaced with a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB).

According to various embodiments, the second array antenna (AR2) may include a second plurality of antenna elements (710, 720) spaced apart from each other on the second substrate (790). According to one embodiment, the second plurality of antenna elements (710, 720) may be patch antennas and include conductive patches. In some embodiments, the first array antenna (AR1) may be replaced with conductive patches, and the second array antenna (AR2) may be replaced with conductive patterns.

According to various embodiments, the second substrate (790) may include a third side (791) facing the rear cover (640) and a fourth side (792) facing the front cover (630). According to one embodiment, the second plurality of antenna elements (710, 720) may be arranged close to the third side (791) in a space between the third side (791) and the fourth side (792) of the second substrate (790). According to one embodiment, the wireless communication circuit (795) (e.g., the wireless communication circuit (595) of FIG. 5 ) may be arranged on the fourth side (792) of the second substrate (790). According to one embodiment, the wireless communication circuit (795) may be arranged to be protected by a shielding member. In one embodiment, the shielding member may include conformal shielding by placing an injection-molded product over a shield can or an electrical component (e.g., an RFIC and/or a PMIC) and coating a conductive component. In one embodiment, the shielding member may shield external noise or block noise emitted from an electrical component disposed on the second substrate from being transmitted to the outside. In one embodiment, the wireless communication circuit (795) may be electrically connected to the first plurality of antenna elements (510, 520) via the second plurality of antenna elements (710, 720) and the electrical connection member (810). In one embodiment, the wireless communication circuit (795) may be configured to transmit and/or receive a wireless signal in a frequency range of about 20 GHz to 100 GHz via the first array antenna (AR1) and/or the second array antenna (AR2). In some embodiments, the wireless communication circuitry (795) may be configured to transmit and/or receive a wireless signal in a frequency range of about 95 GHz to 3 THz via the first array antenna (AR1) and/or the second array antenna (AR2). In some embodiments, the wireless communication circuitry (795) may be configured to transmit and/or receive a wireless signal in a frequency band (e.g., above and below 6 GHz bands) before and after 6 GHz supported by mmWave (5G communication) via the first array antenna (AR1) and/or the second array antenna (AR2). According to one embodiment, each of the antenna elements (510, 520, 710, 720) of the first array antenna (AR1) and/or the second array antenna (AR2) may have the same or different phases and form a beam pattern in a specified direction. According to one embodiment, the first array antenna (AR1) and/or the second array antenna (AR2) may include three or more antenna elements having the same or different phases and forming a beam. In another embodiment, the first array antenna (AR1) and the second array antenna (AR2) may be replaced with one antenna element each disposed on the first substrate (590) and the second substrate (790).

According to various embodiments, the first antenna array (AR1) may be arranged so that a beam pattern is formed in a third direction (③ direction) through a region (A region) including a plurality of slits (6211) formed in a conductive portion (621) of the side frame (620). According to one embodiment, the plurality of slits (6211) may be filled with a high-k dielectric (6212). According to one embodiment, the second antenna array (AR2) may be arranged so that a beam pattern is formed in a first direction (① direction) through a rear cover (640) formed of a dielectric material. In some embodiments, the second antenna array (AR2) may also be arranged so that a beam pattern is formed in a second direction (② direction) through at least a part (e.g., a BM region of a display) of a front cover (630) formed at least partially of a dielectric material. For example, the first antenna array (AR1) and the second antenna array (AR2) can be configured to form beam patterns in various directions by changing the support structure of the dielectric structure (612) and/or the support structure of the substrates (590, 790). In some embodiments, the plurality of slits (6211) can be formed as empty spaces (air) without the dielectric (6212).

In some embodiments, the first region (region A) of the conductive portion (621) to which the plurality of slits (6211) of the side frame (620) are applied may have a thickness that gradually increases, as illustrated in FIG. 12. In other embodiments, the first region (region A) may have a thickness that gradually decreases. In other embodiments, the first region (region A) may have a constant thickness, as illustrated in FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view schematically illustrating an arrangement relationship between an antenna structure (800) and a first conductive portion (621) of a side frame (620) and a second conductive portion (643) of a rear cover (640) according to various embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a partial cross-sectional view of an electronic device (600) including the antenna structure (800) of FIG. 13 according to various embodiments of the present invention. For example, FIG. 14 may be a partial cross-sectional view of an electronic device (300) viewed along line B-B’ of FIG. 3B.

In describing FIGS. 13 and 14, components that are substantially the same as the antenna structure (800) illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12 are given the same reference numerals, and redundant detailed descriptions may be omitted.

Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, the electronic device (600) may include a housing (610) including a side frame (620) and a front cover (630) and a back cover (640) connected to the side frame (620). According to one embodiment, the side frame (620) may include a first conductive portion (621) (conductive portion (621) of FIG. 11) including a plurality of first slits (6211) (e.g., the plurality of slits (6211) of FIG. 11). According to one embodiment, the back cover (640) may include a second conductive portion (643) including a plurality of second slits (6431). According to one embodiment, the second conductive portion (643) may be formed as a part of the back cover (640) of a dielectric material. In another embodiment, the second conductive portion (643) may be disposed in a form embedded in the inner surface, the outer surface, or between the inner surface and the outer surface of the back cover (640) made of a dielectric material. In another embodiment, the second conductive portion (643), when disposed on the outer surface of the back cover (640), may be utilized as a conductive decoration. In some embodiments, the first conductive portion (621) and the second conductive portion (643) may be extended integrally. In some embodiments, the first conductive portion (621) and the second conductive portion (643) may be electrically insulated and connected through a non-conductive portion (6101) (e.g., an injection-molded product).

According to various embodiments, the first antenna structure (500) may include a first array antenna (AR1) disposed on a first substrate (590) supported by a dielectric structure (612) in an internal space (6001) of the electronic device (600). According to one embodiment, the first array antenna (AR1) may be configured to form a beam pattern in a third direction (③ direction) through a first plurality of slits (6211) of the first conductive portion (621). According to one embodiment, the second antenna structure (AR2) may include a second array antenna (AR2) disposed on a second substrate (790) supported by a dielectric structure (612) in an internal space (6001) of the electronic device (600). According to one embodiment, the second array antenna (AR2) may be configured to form a beam pattern in the first direction (direction ①) through a second plurality of slits (6431) of the second conductive portion (643) arranged in a corresponding area (area B) of the rear cover (640). According to one embodiment, the first plurality of slits (6211) may be filled with a first dielectric (6212) having a high dielectric constant. According to one embodiment, the second plurality of slits (6431) may also be filled with a second dielectric (6432) having a high dielectric constant. According to one embodiment, the permittivities of the first dielectric (6212) and the second dielectric (6432) may be the same as or different from each other. In some embodiments, the first plurality of slits (6211) and/or the second plurality of slits (6431) may be formed of air, without a dielectric (6212, 6432).

In some embodiments, the first region (region A) of the conductive portion (621) to which the plurality of slits (6211) of the side frame (620) are applied may have a thickness that gradually increases, as illustrated in FIG. 14. In other embodiments, the first region (region A) may have a thickness that gradually decreases. In other embodiments, the first region (region A) may have a constant thickness, as illustrated in FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a dielectric (6212) including an acoustic hole (6213) is filled in slits (6211) formed in a conductive portion (621) of a side frame (620) according to various embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an electronic device (600) including an antenna structure (800) of FIG. 15 according to various embodiments of the present invention.

In describing FIGS. 15 and 16, components that are substantially the same as the antenna structure (800) and housing (610) illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14 are given the same reference numerals, and redundant detailed descriptions may be omitted.

Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16, the electronic device (600) may include a plurality of first slits (6211) formed in a conductive portion (621) of a side frame (620). According to one embodiment, the plurality of first slits (6211) may be at least partially filled with a first dielectric (6212) having a high permittivity. According to one embodiment, the side frame (620) may include at least one acoustic hole (6213) formed in the first dielectric (6212). According to one embodiment, the acoustic hole (6213) may be used as an acoustic conduit through which sound is emitted from or transmitted to an acoustic module (900) disposed in an internal space (6001) of the electronic device (600). In another embodiment, the acoustic hole (6213) may be used as an external environment detection passage for a sensor module, such as a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an odor sensor, or a barometric pressure sensor, that detects an external environmental condition in the internal space (6001) of the electronic device (600).

According to various embodiments, the electronic device (600) may include an acoustic module housing (910) including an acoustic module (900) formed through a structural change of a dielectric structure (e.g., the dielectric structure (612) of FIG. 13) in an internal space (6001). According to one embodiment, the acoustic module (900) may include a speaker device or a microphone device. According to one embodiment, the acoustic module housing (910) may include a resonance space (9101) connected to the acoustic module (900). According to one embodiment, the resonance space (9101) may be connected to an acoustic hole (6213) formed in a plurality of conductive slits (6211). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (600) may include a partition (920) for spatially separating the resonance space (9101) and the acoustic hole (6213). According to one embodiment, the partition wall (920) can prevent moisture or foreign substances flowing in from the acoustic hole (6213) from flowing into the interior of the electronic device (600). According to one embodiment, the partition wall (920) can include at least one of mesh, non-woven fabric, Gore-Tex, or a membrane. According to one embodiment, the partition wall (920) can connect the resonance space (9101) and the acoustic hole (6213) using at least one of double-sided tape, rubber, urethane, or silicone.

According to various embodiments, the first antenna structure (500) may include a first array antenna (AR1) disposed on a first substrate (590) supported by an acoustic module housing (910) in an internal space (6001) of the electronic device (600). According to one embodiment, the first array antenna (AR1) may be configured such that a beam pattern is formed in a third direction (③ direction) through at least a portion of a first plurality of slits (6211) of the first conductive portion (621). According to one embodiment, the second antenna structure (AR2) may include a second array antenna (AR2) disposed on a second substrate (790) supported by an acoustic module housing (910) in an internal space (6001) of the electronic device (600). According to one embodiment, the second substrate (790) may be arranged to be electrically connected to the printed circuit board (641) via an electrical connector (797). According to one embodiment, the second array antenna (AR2) may be configured to form a beam pattern in the first direction (① direction) through a second plurality of slits (6431) of the second conductive portion (643) arranged on the rear cover (640). At the same time, sound emitted from the acoustic module (900) may be emitted to the outside of the electronic device (600) through the resonance space (9101) and the acoustic hole (6213). In another embodiment, the acoustic hole (6213) may be formed through the second dielectric (6432) in the second plurality of slits (6431) formed on the second conductive portion (643) of the rear cover (640) depending on the arrangement structure of the acoustic module (900).

FIGS. 17a and 17b are partial plan views illustrating a conductive portion (621) of a side frame (620) including an acoustic hole (6213, 6213') according to various embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 17A, the side frame (620) may include a conductive portion (621) including a plurality of slits (6211). In one embodiment, each of the plurality of slits (6211) of the conductive portion (621) may be filled with a high-k dielectric (6212). In one embodiment, the side frame (620) may include an acoustic hole (6213) formed in the plurality of slits (6211) through a structural change of the dielectric (6212). In one embodiment, the acoustic hole (6213) may be formed in a rectangular shape having a length parallel to a longitudinal direction of the plurality of slits (6211). In another embodiment, the acoustic hole (6213) may be formed in a square shape. In another embodiment, the acoustic hole (6213) may be formed in a circular, oval, or polygonal shape. In one embodiment, the acoustic hole (6213) may be formed to a size such that all inner surfaces are in contact with the dielectric (6212). For example, the acoustic hole (6213) may be formed to a size such that all four inner surfaces are in contact with the dielectric (6212).

Referring to FIG. 17b, the acoustic hole (6213') may be formed to a size in which at least a portion of the inner surface is in contact with the conductive portion through a structural change of the dielectric (6212). For example, the acoustic hole (6213') may be formed to a size in which the left and right inner surfaces are in contact with the conductive portion (621). In this case, the acoustic holes (6213, 6213') may have the same or different lengths. According to one embodiment, the side frame (620) may include a breathable waterproof member that is arranged at a position facing the acoustic holes (6213, 6213') at the rear to allow sound to pass through and block moisture and/or foreign substances. According to one embodiment, the breathable waterproof member may include at least one of a Gore-Tex material, a waterproof non-woven material, or a membrane.

Although not shown, the acoustic hole may also be formed in one slit, through a change in the shape of the dielectric, to have at least two acoustic holes spaced apart from each other.

FIG. 18 is a radiation pattern diagram of an antenna structure according to the configuration of FIGS. 17a and 17b according to various embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 18, it can be seen that the radiation performance (17a pattern) of the case of FIG. 17a, in which a beam pattern of an antenna structure (e.g., the first antenna structure (500) of FIG. 16) is formed through a plurality of slits (6211) including acoustic holes (6213) formed in a size such that all four inner surfaces are in contact with the dielectric (6212) under the condition of having the same length, is better than the same radiation performance (17b pattern) of the case of FIG. 17b, in which a beam pattern of an antenna structure (e.g., the first antenna structure (500) of FIG. 16) is formed through a plurality of slits (6211) including acoustic holes (6213') formed in a size such that only two inner surfaces are in contact with the dielectric (6212). This may mean that even if acoustic holes (6213) are formed in a plurality of slits (6211), the radiation performance of an antenna structure (e.g., the first antenna structure (500) of FIG. 16) in which a beam pattern is formed through a slit (6211) having a larger filling area of a dielectric (6212) having a high dielectric constant is relatively superior.

FIG. 19 is a drawing illustrating the arrangement relationship between a plurality of slits (6211) of a side frame (620) and an antenna structure (500) according to various embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 19, the antenna structure (500) may be arranged to overlap along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the slits (6211) when viewing the side frame (620) from the outside. According to one embodiment, the antenna structure (500) may be arranged in the center of the slit (6211) to implement excellent performance. In another embodiment, the antenna structure (500) may be arranged to be offset to one side from the center of the slit (6211). As illustrated, the antenna structure (500) may be arranged to be offset toward the rear cover (640) when viewing the side frame (620) from the outside. For example, the antenna structure (500) may be arranged at a position having a first length (L1) from the rear cover (640) in the longitudinal direction of the plurality of slits (6211). Accordingly, the remaining second length (L2) of the slit (6211) from the antenna structure (500) may be longer than the first length (L2). In this case, the plurality of slits (6211) may be arranged in an open form toward the rear cover (640) and may be filled with a dielectric having a high dielectric constant.

FIG. 20 is a partial perspective view illustrating a conductive portion (621) of a side frame (620) including a segmented portion (6215) according to various embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 20, the side frame (620) may be formed to be at least partially segmented through an additional segment (6215) (e.g., a non-conductive portion) disposed on at least a portion of the conductive portion (621), thereby being utilized as another antenna. For example, the additional segment (6215) may also be filled with a dielectric (6212) through injection. In this case, the conductive portion (621) segmented through the additional segment (6215) may be electrically connected to another wireless communication circuit (597). According to one embodiment, the another wireless communication circuit (597) may be utilized as an antenna operating in a band below 6 GHz through the conductive portion (621) segmented by the additional segment (6215). For example, the wireless communication circuit (597) may be configured to transmit and/or receive wireless signals in 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G (sub 6 GHz), WIFI, GPS, or Bluetooth service bands via the conductive portion segmented by the additional segment (6215). In some embodiments, the additional segment (6215) may be disposed between the plurality of slits (6211) or adjacent to the plurality of slits (6211), such that it may be operated by any one of the plurality of slits (6211).

FIG. 21 and FIG. 22 are drawings illustrating the arrangement relationship of a plurality of slits (6216, 6217) of a side frame (620) and an antenna structure (1100) according to various embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 21, the antenna structure (1100) may include a substrate (1190) and an array antenna (AR3) including a plurality of antenna elements spaced apart from each other on the substrate (1190). According to one embodiment, the antenna elements may include a first antenna (1110) including antenna elements having a first polarization and a second antenna (1120) including antenna elements having a second polarization in a direction perpendicular to the first polarization. According to one embodiment, the array antenna (AR3) may include a structure for supporting dual polarization MIMO.

According to various embodiments, the conductive portion (621) of the side frame (620) arranged at a position corresponding to the antenna structure (1100) may include a first plurality of slits (6216) having a length in a direction perpendicular to the first polarization of the first antenna (1110) and a second plurality of slits (6217) having a length in a direction perpendicular to the second polarization of the second antenna (1120). According to one embodiment, the plurality of slits (6216, 6217) may be formed in groups to correspond to the antenna elements of each antenna (1110, 1120) when viewed from the outside in order to maintain aesthetics.

According to various embodiments, the first antenna (1110) having the first polarization may be arranged to have a first inclination angle (θ1) with respect to a lower side (6202) of the side frame (620). In another embodiment, the first antenna (1110) may be arranged to have a first inclination angle (θ1) with respect to a long side (e.g., a side parallel to the arrangement direction of the array antenna (AR3)) of the substrate (1190). For example, in this case, the plurality of second slits (6217) may be formed in the conductive portion (621) of the side frame (620) to have the same first inclination angle (θ1) as the first antenna (1110).

According to one embodiment, the second antenna (1120) having the second polarization may be arranged to have a first inclination angle (θ1) and a second inclination angle (θ2) perpendicular to the upper side (6201) and/or the lower side (6202) of the side frame (620). In another embodiment, the second antenna (1120) may be arranged to have a second inclination angle (θ2) with respect to a long side of the substrate (1190) (e.g., a side parallel to the arrangement direction of the array antenna (AR3)). For example, in this case, a plurality of first slits may be formed in the conductive portion (621) of the side frame (620) to have the same second inclination angle (θ2) as the second antenna (1120). In some embodiments, the first antenna (1110) and the second antenna (1120) may each include two or more antenna elements. In some embodiments, the antenna structure (1100) may include three or more antennas having different polarizations.

Referring to FIG. 22, the side frame (620) may include a plurality of first slits (6216) formed at positions corresponding to a first antenna (1110) including a plurality of antenna elements having a first polarization, and a plurality of second slits (6217) formed at positions corresponding to a second antenna (1120) including a plurality of antenna elements having a second polarization. According to one embodiment, the array antenna (AR3) may include a structure for supporting dual polarization MIMO, and may include a structure in which antennas (1110, 1120) having different polarizations are spaced apart from each other.

According to one embodiment, the first plurality of slits (6216) and the second plurality of slits (6217) may be arranged in a form offset to one side rather than the center with respect to the respective corresponding antennas (1110, 1120), but as described in FIG. 23 below, since there are upper and lower radiation components of the conductive portion (621), the radiation performance may be maintained even if a sufficient aperture angle is not formed through the slits (6216, 6217). For example, it may be helpful for the performance to maintain a separation distance of n×(λ/2) between the first antenna (1110) having the first polarization and the second antenna (1120) having the second polarization. Here, n may include the number of antennas.

Although not shown, the side frame (620) may include a high-k dielectric (e.g., the dielectric (6212) of FIG. 15) filled in the first plurality of slits (6216) and the second plurality of slits (6217) corresponding to the first antenna (1110) and the second antenna (1120) in the conductive portion (621). In another embodiment, the first plurality of slits (6216) and the second plurality of slits (6217) may include at least one acoustic hole (e.g., the acoustic hole (6213) of FIG. 15) formed by changing the shape of the dielectric.

FIG. 23 is a drawing illustrating a state in which a conductive portion of a side frame is connected to a surrounding conductive structure through non-conductive portions according to various embodiments of the present invention.

According to various embodiments, when the antenna elements are arranged diagonally with an inclined angle, as shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the radiation performance of the antenna structure (e.g., the antenna structure (1100) of FIG. 21) may be degraded by at least partially radiating energy through the plurality of slits (e.g., the slits (6216, 6217) of FIG. 21) as well as the upper and lower portions of the conductive portion (621) of the side frame (620). Therefore, in order to maintain the radiation performance of the antenna structure (e.g., the antenna structure (1100) of FIG. 21), the upper and lower portions of the conductive portion (621) may be formed as electrically isolated non-conductive portions.

Referring to FIG. 23, the electronic device may include at least one conductive structure (635, 645) arranged around the conductive portion (621) of the side frame (620). According to one embodiment, at least one conductive structure (635, 645) may include a conductive member (e.g., a display (metal sheet, metal bracket, or metal cover)) arranged in an internal space of the electronic device. As described above, the electronic device may include at least one non-conductive structure (6351, 6451) for spacing the at least one conductive structure (635, 645) away from the conductive portion (621) by a predetermined distance for smooth radiation of the antenna structure (1100). According to one embodiment, the non-conductive structure (6351, 6451) may include a dielectric or insulating material. According to one embodiment, the mutual spacing distance (g) between the conductive portion (621) and the at least one conductive structure (635, 645) through the at least one non-conductive structure (6351, 6451) may be set to about 2 mm.

FIGS. 24 and 25 are drawings illustrating the arrangement relationship of a plurality of non-conductive portions formed on a conductive portion of a side frame and an antenna structure according to various embodiments of the present invention.

Figures 24 and 25 illustrate non-conductive regions of various shapes formed on the conductive portion of the side frame corresponding to the antenna structure supporting cross polarization.

Referring to FIG. 24, the antenna structure (1200) may include an array antenna (AR4) including a substrate (1290), a plurality of antenna elements (1210, 1220, 1230, 1240) arranged on the substrate (1290). According to one embodiment, the plurality of antenna elements (1210, 1220, 1230, 1240) may include conductive patches or conductive patterns. According to one embodiment, the side frame (620) may include a plurality of conductive islands (1311) in the form of islands arranged in areas corresponding to each antenna element (1210, 1220, 1230, 1240) in a conductive portion (621) and spaced apart from each other, and a dielectric (1313) having a high permittivity connecting the conductive islands (1311) to the conductive portion (621). According to one embodiment, the antenna structure (1200) can form a beam pattern in a specified direction through a non-conductive region (1312) formed through conductive islands (1311) and a dielectric (1313).

Referring to FIG. 25, the side frame (620) may include a plurality of openings (1412) spaced apart from each other in areas corresponding to each antenna element (1210, 1220, 1230, 1240) in the conductive portion (621). In one embodiment, the plurality of openings (1412) may be filled with a dielectric (1413) having a high permittivity. In one embodiment, the antenna structure (1200) may form a beam pattern in a designated direction through the plurality of openings (1412) filled with the dielectric (1413). In another embodiment, the plurality of openings (1412) may be formed in an oval or polygonal shape rather than a circular shape. In another embodiment, the plurality of openings (1412) may be formed to have different shapes and/or arrangement densities.

According to various embodiments, an electronic device (e.g., an electronic device (600) of FIG. 6) includes a front cover (e.g., a front cover (630) of FIG. 6), a rear cover (e.g., a rear cover (640) of FIG. 6) facing in an opposite direction to the front cover, a side frame (e.g., a side frame (620) of FIG. 6) surrounding a space (e.g., a space (6001) of FIG. 6) between the front cover and the rear cover and including at least a first conductive portion (e.g., a conductive portion (621) of FIG. 6), and a first antenna structure (e.g., an antenna structure (500) of FIG. 5) disposed in the space, the first antenna structure comprising a first substrate (e.g., a substrate (590) of FIG. 5), and a first plurality of antenna elements (e.g., a plurality of antenna elements (510, 512) of FIG. 5) disposed on the first substrate and having a beam pattern formed toward the first conductive portion. A first antenna structure including a first array antenna (e.g., the array antenna (AR1) of FIG. 5) including a first antenna structure (e.g., the array antenna (AR1) of FIG. 5) including a first conductive portion, and a wireless communication circuit (e.g., the wireless communication circuit (595) of FIG. 5) configured to transmit and/or receive a wireless signal of a first frequency range through the first array antenna in the space, wherein the first conductive portion may include a first plurality of slits (e.g., the plurality of slits (6211) of FIG. 5) formed at a portion corresponding to the first array antenna so as to have a length in a direction perpendicular to a polarization of the array antenna and having a spaced interval from each other.

According to various embodiments, each of the first plurality of antenna elements may have the same or different phases and be configured to form a beam.

According to various embodiments, the first frequency range may include a frequency range of 20 GHz to 100 GHz.

According to various embodiments, each of the first plurality of slits can be formed to have a length of 2.5 to 4 mm.

According to various embodiments, each of the first plurality of slits can be formed to have a width of 0.6 to 0.8 mm.

According to various embodiments, the device may further include a second conductive portion disposed near the first conductive portion on one of the front cover and the rear cover.

According to various embodiments, the first conductive portion and the second conductive portion can be connected through a non-conductive portion.

According to various embodiments, the space may include a second conductive portion disposed on at least a portion of the rear cover.

According to various embodiments, the space further includes a second antenna structure including a second substrate disposed in a portion corresponding to the second conductive portion and a second array antenna including a second plurality of antenna elements disposed on the second substrate, wherein the second conductive portion may include a second plurality of slits formed in a portion corresponding to the second array antenna with a spaced apart interval from each other and having a length in a direction perpendicular to a polarization of the second array antenna.

According to various embodiments, the first antenna structure and the second antenna structure can be configured to form beam patterns in a direction perpendicular to each other.

According to various embodiments, the first substrate can be electrically connected to the second substrate via an electrical connecting member.

According to various embodiments, the second substrate may include the wireless communication circuitry.

According to various embodiments, the wireless communication circuit can be configured to transmit and/or receive a wireless signal in the first frequency range via the first antenna array and/or the second array antenna.

According to various embodiments, the device further includes an acoustic module disposed in the internal space, and the first plurality of slits can be used as acoustic transmission passages of the acoustic module.

According to various embodiments, the first plurality of slits can be at least partially filled with a dielectric.

According to various embodiments, the dielectric constant of the dielectric may range from 4 to 10.

According to various embodiments, the device further comprises an acoustic module disposed in the space, wherein at least a portion of the dielectric comprises an acoustic hole, and the acoustic hole can be used as an acoustic transmission passage of the acoustic module.

According to various embodiments, the acoustic module may include a speaker device or a microphone device.

According to various embodiments, at least some of the antenna elements of the first plurality of antenna elements may be arranged to have a first tilt angle, and the remaining antenna elements may be arranged to have a second tilt angle perpendicular to the first tilt angle.

According to various embodiments, among the first plurality of slits, a plurality of slits corresponding to the antenna elements having the first inclination angle may be arranged to have a length in a direction having the second inclination angle, and among the first plurality of slits, a plurality of slits corresponding to the remaining antenna elements having the second inclination angle may be arranged to have a length in a direction having the first inclination angle.

According to various embodiments, the device may further include a display disposed in the space and positioned to be visible from the outside through at least a portion of the front cover.

And the embodiments of the present invention disclosed in this specification and drawings are only specific examples presented to easily explain the technical contents according to the embodiments of the present invention and to help understand the embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the various embodiments of the present invention should be interpreted as including all changes or modified forms derived based on the technical ideas of the various embodiments of the present invention in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

500: Antenna structure 510, 520: Antenna element
590: Substrate 595: Wireless communication circuit
600: Electronic Device 620: Side Frame
621: The challenging part 6211: Multiple slits
6212: Dielectric 6213: Acoustic Hole

Claims (20)

In electronic devices,
front cover;
A back cover facing in the opposite direction to the front cover;
A side frame surrounding a space between the front cover and the rear cover, the side frame at least partially including a first conductive portion;
As a first antenna structure arranged in the above space,
First board;
A first antenna structure including a first array antenna, which is arranged on the first substrate and includes a first plurality of antenna elements forming a beam pattern toward the first conductive portion; and
In the above space, a wireless communication circuit is included that is set to transmit or receive a wireless signal of a first frequency range through the first array antenna,
The first conductive portion includes a first plurality of slits formed at a distance spaced apart from each other in a portion corresponding to the first array antenna and having a length in a direction perpendicular to the polarization of the first array antenna.
The first plurality of slits are at least partially filled with a dielectric,
Further comprising an acoustic module arranged in the space, wherein at least a portion of the dielectric comprises an acoustic hole;
The above sound hole is an electronic device used as a sound transmission passage of the above sound module.
In the first paragraph,
An electronic device wherein each of the first plurality of antenna elements has the same or different phase and is configured to form a beam.
In the first paragraph,
An electronic device wherein the first frequency range includes a frequency range of 20 GHz to 100 GHz.
In the first paragraph,
An electronic device wherein each of the first plurality of slits is formed to have a length of 2.5 to 4 mm.
In the first paragraph,
An electronic device wherein each of the first plurality of slits is formed to have a width of 0.6 to 0.8 mm.
In the first paragraph,
An electronic device further comprising a second conductive portion disposed on one of the front cover and the rear cover near the first conductive portion.
In Article 6,
An electronic device wherein the first conductive portion and the second conductive portion are connected through a non-conductive portion.
In Article 7,
In the above space, a second substrate arranged in a portion corresponding to the second challenging portion; and
Further comprising a second antenna structure including a second array antenna including a second plurality of antenna elements arranged on the second substrate,
An electronic device in which the second conductive portion includes a second plurality of slits formed at a distance spaced apart from each other in a portion corresponding to the second array antenna and having a length in a direction perpendicular to the polarization of the second array antenna.
In Article 8,
An electronic device in which the first antenna structure and the second antenna structure are set to form beam patterns in a direction perpendicular to each other.
In Article 9,
An electronic device in which the first substrate is electrically connected to the second substrate through an electrical connecting member.
In Article 10,
The second substrate is an electronic device including the wireless communication circuit.
In Article 11,
The wireless communication circuit is an electronic device configured to transmit or receive a wireless signal in the first frequency range through the first antenna array and the second array antenna.
delete delete In the first paragraph,
An electronic device wherein the dielectric constant of the above dielectric is in the range of 4 to 10.
delete In the first paragraph,
The above-mentioned acoustic module is an electronic device including a speaker device or a microphone device.
In the first paragraph,
An electronic device wherein at least some of the first plurality of antenna elements are arranged to have a first inclination angle, and the remaining antenna elements are arranged to have a second inclination angle that is perpendicular to the first inclination angle.
In Article 18,
Among the first plurality of slits, the plurality of slits corresponding to the antenna elements having the first inclination angle are arranged to have a length in the direction having the second inclination angle,
An electronic device in which a plurality of slits corresponding to the remaining antenna elements having the second inclination angle among the first plurality of slits are arranged to have a length in the direction having the first inclination angle.
In the first paragraph,
An electronic device further comprising a display disposed in the space and arranged to be visible from the outside through at least a portion of the front cover.

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